RECONCILIATION: 30 Years since the Breakup of Yugoslavia – How does the past shape the future for the young generation?
21.06.2021
4:30 - 6:30
International Institute for Peace
Möllwaldpl. 5, 1040 Wien
30 years after the breakup of Yugoslavia, the ghosts of the past continue to haunt the region. Old-fashioned backwards-oriented politics and nationalism are still present and even on the rise. The past is still instrumentalized for political purposes. The lack of economic, educational, or social perspectives for the youth drives many young people to leave their countries towards the West searching for a better life and more opportunities. In terms of dealing with the past, considerable efforts were made to initiate and support reconciliation, yet the results are rather limited and the question of effectiveness of tools and means applied remains. How important is reconciliation for the young generation of the Western Balkans? How do they perceive the multi-sided dimensions of history and truth, victimhood and human rights abuses? What importance does reconciliation have for the future of the region, be it for the regional cooperation, good-neighbourly relations or personal encounters and exchange between youngsters in Southeastern Europe? What role did internal actors play so far and how can a reconciliation process be supported from within and from the outside? How important is reconciliation to shape a prosperous future for those who were not yet born when Yugoslavia went through dissolution and wars?
These and other questions will be analyzed and discussed with young experts from the region.
Welcome:
GERHARD MARCHL
Karl-Renner-Institut, head of the department on European Politics
STEPHANIE FENKART
Director of the IIP
Panelists:
DONIKA EMINI
Executive Director of the CiviKos Platform, Kosovo
SAMIR BEHARIC
Youth Activist, Board Member of the Western Balkans Alumni Association, Bosnia and Herzegovina (via ZOOM)
MAJA BJELOS
Belgrade Center for Security Studies, Serbia
STEFANI SPIROVSKA
Youth Educational Forum, North Macedonia
MARIO MAZIC
Founding Partner at Europe&Southeast, a social benefit-focused consultancy company, Croatia (via ZOOM)
Moderation:
VEDRAN DZIHIC
Senior Researcher at the OIIP and Lecturer at the University of Vienna
Concluding Remarks:
HANNES SWOBODA
President of the IIP, former MEP
Date:
Monday, 21 June 2021
Time:
4:30 PM (CEST)
Venue:
Hybrid / Zoom link will be sent to registered participants
The discussion will be held in English.
By participating in this event, you agree that any photos or recordings taken that include footage of your person may be published or used in any other way by the organizers of the event.
In cooperation with the International Institute for Peace and the Karl-Renner-Institut.
